I did the Oscar Hosts last week with Robin Roberts for GMA, set in the Architectural Digest Greenroom, which I thought looked real good. In fact I inaugurated the use of my new Sony PMW-F3 camera with 35mm sensor to shoot the two-shot, and amazingly the softness of the background matched very nicely to the closer single shot on a 2/3" camera.

The lighting setup you refer to has pretty much become a "comfort food" classic with the Diva 400's as keys (although personally I still use conventional 2'Fourbanks with KF 2900 tubes), and is very easy to replicate with a small footprint of gear, easily transported in a van or station wagon.

These new Sony cameras, which shoot all HD and SD formats including recording DVCAM (which we still use at ABC!) to SxS cards, and are capable of hooking up to RMB150/750 Remote Control Units, will become very popular in this type of feature broadcast news and other multicam environments because of their low price and unique look. In addition they are nominally 640-800 ASA at 0 Db, and as you know, that has significant implications for lighting.

John, I would love it if some time you could put up a jpeg drawing of some of the grids and plots you design. Actually, anybody else, as well, I love to steal ideas, I mean, take inspiration from, what other people have done to solve common problems.

I truly WISH I could re-buy into the Sony vision which powered the first 15 years of my career. But I'm afraid they've lost me. This camera would have set up Sony for another decade of my business if it had come out in 2002. But a $16,000 video device with DSLR lens capabilities arriving in an era with you have literally THOUSANDS of folks already shooting 5dMkii's is a boat missed.

Which is truly sad. It's likely a great camera. And I'm sure it will be VERY popular in the last years of the traditional broadcast business model (what's left of it) but I'm truly afraid the ship has sailed.

I'm partially convinced of that because I just delivered a flight of 4 high-def commercials shot on the 5d to various stations including major network affiliate on the west coast a few weeks ago via the internet.

After working for DAYS on making sense out of all the stations various written encoding standards, I finally reached a guy who told me to IGNORE all the published standards and instead simply set me FCP HD output files to the same settings he was using for in-house work. EVEN THE STATIONS ARENT ENCODING THEIR OWN WORK WITH THEIR OWN PUBLISHED STANDARDS! THEN the guy confessed that he wasn't even an engineer. The station had stripped out Master Control months ago and all the broadcast work was now being served from Atlanta. So my files would just be forwarded via internet to them for re-deployment back to the broadcast city.

Essentially, my ProRes output stuff got re-sampled down from 330meg files down to about 23meg files using his output settings - directly out of FCP (making my investment late last year in Episode seem pretty foolish) but looked GORGEOUS on the air.

The whole broadcast industry is being gutted and re-invented under our very feet.

So my advice is to hold on and don't invest any more than you MUST in gear. Because in the real world, they're using about 10% of the actual data that even a DSLR generates for High Def broadcast thanks to the new compression standards.

Sheesh - technology is SUCH a rocket ship right now.

FWIW.

"Before speaking out ask yourself whether your words are true, whether they are respectful and whether they are needed in our civil discussions."-Justice O'Conner

I feel your pain, but must say that these new PMW-F3 cameras are much more complete broadcast devices than any DSLR will ever be. As I mentioned they have complete Remote Control capability, all NTSC and PAL formats, connectors for TC, Genlock, Dual link, all the computer stuff (including HDMI) and take PL mount lenses. When I first heard about these cameras I poo-pod-ed them too, but now that I've got my hands on several, and have had a chance to use them I am sold. When they are finally enabled with Dual link 444 output and S-Log capability they will be everything and more than the Red hoped to be.

[john sharaf]"PMW-F3 cameras are much more complete broadcast devices than any DSLR will ever be."

Agreed... we've been talking about them for a while, they will probably be our next cameras unless Canon gets with the program real soon and puts the 5D chip in a proper video camera.

As much as I love the P+S Technik lens converter (and rely on it every day), it'd be nice to give it up... along with the weight and light loss. The PMW-F3 seems to been the best solution right now. I'm not willing to jump through the 15 different hoops needed to shoot and use DSLR footage (even though we have one), and although I haven't used it I've been told by a couple of people who have not to consider the Panasonic AG-AF100... that its very consumerish and little more than a toy.

I'm very interested in the Sony F3 as well, because of the use of PL mounted lenses, the light weight, and of course the large sensor, which throws the background out of focus so elegantly.
But it has drawbacks -- it's not really designed for documentary/eng type applications -- with it's viewfinder located behind the camera body and it's default recording codec is 4:2:0.
Much as I envied it's very light weight, I just purchased a Panasonic HPX-3100, which finally is a lighter full-sized P2 camera.

I don't argue with your assertion about "complete broadcast devices" in any way, shape or form. My point was the the very NATURE of "broadcast" is undergoing a MASSIVE change. My recent experiences delivering work to major west coast TV stations was SHOCKING at best.

The HUGE tectonic change is that local TV stations - including major network affiliates - appear to be a rapidly DYING breed. The stations no longer have "direct to transmitter" links. Rather, they are assembling their programming from internet data streams that are delivered by the exact same kind of internet connections that I have in my home. (in other words, the data that I functionally upload from my home studio via simple COX broadband is PERFECTLY acceptable for national HD programming.

The point is NOT that the DSLR is in any way "better" than any other camera. The astonishment is that ANY $2500 device is PERFECTLY capable of producing to the FULL standards of today's American HD broadcast programming.

Paying $16,000 + for a camera with better capabilities is an individual business related choice. And I'll defend it as well as anyone. I know the major benefits of professional tools in the hands of professionals.

But that doesn't preclude the fact that for the entire history of broadcasting, the price of admission was VERY high on the production end. Today, it's TRIVIAL.

My recent DSLR work for the San Diego Blood Bank formed not just the basis for their four currently running commercials- but high-rez still captures from that same footage formed the basis for their website revamps, and the simple equipment workflow (along with excellent agency coordination, writing and teamwork) let us get NINE airable spots out of a 3 day location shoot - all of them distinct and different. Judge for yourself. (sandiegobloodbank.org has the first FOUR of 8-9 spots we just produced online for public viewing.)

All I'm saying is that what USED to be the required gear to conform to "HD broadcast standards" even six MONTHS ago - which REQUIRED the investment of tens of thousands of dollars in gear has devolved into requiring equipment that can be purchased with essentially pocket change.

This does NOT speak to the WORK QUALITY of needing to know how to write, light, shoot, edit, and even BUY MEDIA - none of that has changed at all and the difference between professional and amateur work will, forever in my opinion, be evident in the work you produce.

But the pressure on equipment is VERY MUCH ON and the DSLR thing was the heaviest weight we've seen so far in a downward direction.

Less than a year ago, everyone below the broadcast level was looking for Panasonic P2 shooters. Today, that's TOTALLY shifted to DSLR shooters. And the broadcast work is FOLLOWING that curve - for better or worse.

That's the market speaking. Loudly.

For what it's worth.

"Before speaking out ask yourself whether your words are true, whether they are respectful and whether they are needed in our civil discussions."-Justice O'Conner

What kind of support system did you use on the Blood Bank commercials with your DSLR? The movements in the spots where it was in the arches with the father/son and family (same location) were a little jerky. Having shot with DSLRs, what is the tripod of choice? The balance of them is what's taken the biggest amount of getting used to. The tripods I've used, while I thought the moves were smooth, got back to look at the footage to be disappointed.

The art director and the client both wanted everything shot with an "organic" feel, so I was thinking initially that I'd do most of the shooting with an elaborate Zacuto hand held rails system we had in the field. However, after looking at the first results, the decision was made that with the heavy lenses and settings everyone preferred, we needed MORE stability in the shots. We did about half the shots (most of the moving ones) on a CamTram. It's 100mm bowl let us switch between that and a Sachtler Caddy Tripod easiily. In our beach locations, we used just a set of simple Bogen Legs for the 5d.

One reason for the mildly "jerky" look is that virtually nothing was scripted and none of the talent was professional. We set out to simply document "slice of life" moments as they came up. The specific father and son shots you mention feature the art director and his son and a good friend of theirs who is playing the wife. (real wife had to work.)

The "star" spot for the client, (first one they wanted to run) is the :15 "Diego's Apple" spot - and that was ENTIRELY a fluke. Nothing planned. I just saw Diego eating the apple, as as a snap decision,directed the two adults to join him and walk out - and his initial look at the camera - as well as his interim "look back" - neither of which was planned - charmed the pants off the whole client group. In fact, notice that two guys wandered right into the background of that first snap take that everyone loved for the beautiful, if unplanned real shot of Diego - so I had to garbage matte blur the background guys out since I didn't have releases for them.

The :30 "family" spot, was also a couple of quick takes in between other setups.

That's the freedom of DSLR shooting, you can get away with minimal setup and lighting and be REACTIVE rather than totally planned.

Yes, the spots are essentially rougher than perfectly planned commercials. Then again, we got 11 15's and one "30" approved from 4 days of shooting, and so post shoot, instead of the clients debating the merits of one spot, they're trying to figure out how to pick from 11 that they like. THAT's a happy client.

This approach is NOT something I'd necessarily recommend for other projects. It requires a simple, clear creative idea (that the agency deserves ALL the credit for generating and getting the client so sign off on!) But that freedom to go out and simply see what develops in the real world rather than trying to shoot storyboards is a GREAT alternative to a crew of 25, a burn rate of $10,000 an hour in talent and location fees and all the stress of attempting to achieve a slice of perfection.

I'm all for that fully planned approach when the economics of the spot conform to that. But for a non-profit with a tight budget, that's not an efficient approach. I'm jazzed at what the 5d let us do on these. And the client is deliriously happy as well. So much so that they're bringing me back in two weeks to shoot another project. THAT is what it's all about in this business.

Horses for courses. And used thoughtfully, for what it's good for, the DSLR is one fabulous quick pony.

For what it's worth.

"Before speaking out ask yourself whether your words are true, whether they are respectful and whether they are needed in our civil discussions."-Justice O'Conner

JOHN ..... I liked the Sheen interview. It looked very good; and "clean". It's what I admire in your work. (Hence my original question!).
I saw the GMA broadcast (Isn't Robin wonderful to work with?) I thought Bobby did the Green Room. It looked FANTASTIC! I should have known it was your work. CONGRATS.
I'll be doing the ROYAL WEDDING coverage. Might you be going?